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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28527774">SOS</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/eilharts/pseuds/eilharts'>eilharts</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Mantis and the Rose [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Cyberpunk 2077 (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/F, Fluff, a different take on the whole River quest, bit of smut, hated it so i fixed it</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 21:14:35</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,257</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28527774</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/eilharts/pseuds/eilharts</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>V never called for help, even when she found herself in the worst kind of trouble. Except one time she does call, but it's a different kind of an emergency.</p><p>Aka: Following the River quest but V is gay and very uncomfortable. Someone save her, please.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Judy Alvarez/Female V</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Mantis and the Rose [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2095428</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>56</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>599</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Judy paused the newest BD she was working on and glared at the phone. When she saw who called her frustration quickly ebbed away.</p>
<p>“Hey, calabacita,” she quickly sent her a kiss, delighted to see the immediate effect. The merc had to take a moment to answer, blinking owlishly. Like a moth to a flame.</p>
<p>“Judy,” V breathed out, trying to fight the sudden urge to be deliciously distracted. “Listen, I need your help.”</p>
<p>It now dawned on her that this could be a dangerous situation. Sobering up, the techie scrutinized the merc and the environment for any hints of trouble. It looked like she was hauled up in the bathroom, hiding from someone. “Shit, are you alright? And why are we whispering?”</p>
<p>V gave her a lopsided smile. “Let’s just say that this is a different kind of an emergency, Jude. I’m not being hunted by anyone, if that’s what you’re getting at. Although…”</p>
<p>“Quit screwing around and tell me.” The growl in her voice made V quirk an eyebrow.</p>
<p>“Calm down, tiger. So, here’s the thing.” She looked positively embarrassed. “I, uh, agreed to come to this guy’s dinner party.”</p>
<p>Judy folded her arms. “And?”</p>
<p>V gestured to her surroundings. “And I’m stuck in the bathroom, trying to avoid his family. I think this is supposed to be a date. His nephew and niece are already calling us a couple. I tried to make it obvious that I am not interested, but there was no way to lay it out in the open without it being painfully awkward.”</p>
<p>There was a knock on the door and the merc nearly dropped her phone. “Is everything alright in there?”</p>
<p>“Don’t worry, Joss. I’ll be out in a bit.” V toyed with the collar of her shirt, eyes darting around, looking for an escape route that wasn’t there. Judy sat back and watched with a satisfied smirk.</p>
<p>“Are you sure? It’s not the food, is it?”</p>
<p>V dragged her palm across her face. “No, no, trust me. The grub is fine, it’s just that time of the month for me. You know?” Judy bit her lip to stop herself from laughing.</p>
<p>Joss made a sympathetic sound. “Aw, I see. You didn’t get that checked out? That was my first major implant, you know. After the kids, of course.”</p>
<p>V shrugged. “Well, I don’t wanna go overboard with the tech. Not more than I need to,” said the woman who chopped off her forearms for mantis blades.</p>
<p>“I get it. Well, um, better be careful, then. See ya outside, V.”</p>
<p>“Yeah-no, what?” The merc frowned as the implied meaning of her words suddenly hit her like a truck. Footsteps were slowly growing faint and she heard the door slide shut.</p>
<p>Judy chuckled darkly. “Well, well, well. Do you need me to come over and save you from your prince charming, my dear damsel?”</p>
<p>“Who are you calling a damsel?” Despite her obvious discomfort, she was grateful for the teasing. “Just call me again in ten minutes and make it sound super urgent like your life depends on it. That ought to do the trick.”</p>
<p>“Uh-huh. And who said I’d want to help?”</p>
<p>V was taken aback. “Excuse me?”</p>
<p>Oh, the power she now held. It would be too bad if she relinquished it without first having a little bit of fun. “You got yourself into this situation, V. I mean, how could you not see the signs, girl? A lonely guy asks you out for dinner.” She shook her head. “<em>Tsk, tsk</em>. I’m dating an idiot.”</p>
<p>“Come on, it could still be a friendly outing.”</p>
<p>“Did he, or did he not make the food himself?”</p>
<p>“He…did.”</p>
<p>“Did he also show off during the process?”</p>
<p>“Absolutely.”</p>
<p>“And he already introduced you to his family.”</p>
<p>“Okay, enough.” V stood up. “Name your price. I’ll do anything, just get me out of here, Jude.”</p>
<p>“Oh, the possibilities…”</p>
<p>“Judy.”</p>
<p>“You said anything, girl. You can’t blame me for letting my imagination wander.”</p>
<p>“You got ten minutes.” V had the audacity to hang up.</p>
<p>Spinning in her chair, Judy felt giddy with excitement. The big bad merc was now sitting at a table with a bunch of straights, pretending to be one herself to avoid drama. The mental image made her throw her head back and laugh. She has never dated anyone this socially awkward.</p>
<p>She could ask for something relatively innocent like a massage. A late night date. Or she could be cruel and kinky just to see how far she could go until the merc broke. Unsurprisingly, her evil side won over, and she was already tying the girl up in her mind as she watched the clock at the bottom of her monitor.</p>
<p>Then it occurred to her just what was happening. Some idiot was hoping to fuck <em>her</em> girl. Even worse, he could have wanted more than that. It was obvious that he would not be getting any, not with her V who was loyal and hopelessly homosexual, but even the sole notion of someone imagining her that way was enough to make her grind her teeth in anger. Perhaps she should show up in person and kiss her right in front of this nameless dude and his family. Yeah, she would have liked that.</p>
<p>Problem was, there had to be so many more folks like that. V was an empath in the body of a killing machine; sexy and so fucking reliable. She pushed the boundaries of what could and could not be done, found needles in hay stacks, and she was good at pretty much anything except reading the intentions of straight men and knowing how to deal with technology. Judy could easily program two-way sensors for BDs while V would take forever just to fix an old toaster. Judy was slowly teaching her whenever they got the time, and the girl excitedly sent her photos of her opening high-sec doors with her thumbs up. It never failed to put a smile on her face.</p>
<p>And now was the time to save that idiot from a very awkward confrontation. She dialed her number and nearly burst out laughing when it connected on the second ring.</p>
<p>“Hello, yes, I am a gun for hire.” V could barely keep up this charade, Judy could tell. “I am currently indisposed, so this better be an emergency.”</p>
<p>“Hello, miss,” Judy drawled out. “I would like to hire that gun of yours. Urgently.”</p>
<p>V scoffed and quickly covered it up with a cough. “Unusual request, but I agree. Sounds urgent enough. I don’t work for free, though, especially when fixers aren’t involved.”</p>
<p>“Oh, I’ll fix <em>you</em>, alright.” Judy let her voice drop even lower. “<em>Come to me</em>.”</p>
<p>There was a small pause. “I’ll be there in five.”</p>
<p>Judy sent her another kiss. “Can’t wait.”</p>
<p>Oh, that poor guy, got the girl stolen from him mid date. But Judy was not sorry, not one bit.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. The Reward</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Story continues right after the end of chapter 1.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>She could imagine the girl speeding to Watson on her motorcycle as she waited in her work room. She perched her legs up on her table and prayed to whatever higher power there was that the merc wouldn’t crash.</p><p>After a moment of deliberation, she went to her room and rummaged in her secret drawer, giggling evilly. The girl didn’t know what she had coming. If she thought Judy would let this slide, she was dead wrong.</p><p>Instead of barging in like a touch-starved puppy, V called her through the intercom. Judy rolled her eyes and went to open the door to find the merc leaning casually against the wall.</p><p>“I believe you ordered a gun for hire, miss.” So much smoulder from someone who was cowering in the bathroom not so long ago.</p><p>Judy folded her arms. “Hm, don’t remember doing that.” V gave her a look that basically said <em>are you fucking kidding me?</em> “I think I ordered pizza. So, unless you got one, I’m afraid I don’t need your services.”</p><p>“Uh, no, I don’t—“</p><p>“Bye, then.” The door slid shut. Judy put her hand over her mouth in case she would start laughing.</p><p>A moment later the door opened again and V waved her arm in front of her face. “I have the key, Judy. You can’t lock me out.”</p><p>“Can’t I?” Judy smirked and pushed the button. Before the door closed she could see the girl sulk.</p><p>“This isn’t funny, Jude.” <em>Ping!</em> The door moved and the merc marched inside, only to be pushed back into the stairwell. Judy cupped her cheeks and kissed her to make up for the fuss, showing her that she <em>did</em> want her there, just in case the idiot would choose to bolt, or misread her intentions. She was quite good at being dense, it seemed. Despite this, she still raced back into the apartment and left the merc standing there.</p><p>Judy waited a minute before she peered outside. No one was there. “Hello? Damn, I guess I’m not getting laid tonight.” Nothing. She sighed and walked back in. She opened the window and looked outside, cursing in shock when she saw hands gripping the window frame.</p><p>“Scoot,” the merc ordered as she hauled herself up and fell inside like a sack of potatoes. “Oof. Is this some kind of punishment?” She sounded like she was just about done with her shit.</p><p>“Well, I thought you needed a lesson about how to say no to people who are making advances on you. You know, like that guy you nearly married today. Sheesh, how dense are you?” She helped V stand up and dusted her off.</p><p>“For a moment I thought you really did want me gone.” V’s brow furrowed with worry. When Judy gave her the biometric lock key, V acted as if she was giving her all her life savings, prized possessions, kidneys, her van, and all of her expensive BD tech. To say she was panicking would be an understatement. V has given her everything without wanting compensation, but once the tables turned, she could barely think herself worthy of such a gesture. And now Judy made her doubt again.</p><p>Taking one of her hands, Judy kissed her knuckles. It was a small gesture, but V seemed much more grounded now. “Listen,” she said, stroking her cheek. “I will always want you here. And I want you to think of this as your home. Got it?”</p><p>V chuckled. “Sorry, I guess I am not that good at reading people when it comes to affections. Johnny isn’t helping either.” She stepped away and rubbed her temples. Whatever she was going through at that unfortunate dinner, her construct had to be either pissing himself laughing, or panicking at the prospect of kissing the unwanted suitor. “Do we have something to drink? Preferably something strong?”</p><p>“Sure thing, though I wouldn’t go overboard if I were you.” Judy went behind the counter and poured V a plain shot of tequila.</p><p>The woman nearly inhaled it and asked for a refill. “Why? Is there another devious scheme on your itinerary that I don’t know about?” Strangely enough, the merc seemed okay with more mischief. She leaned over the counter, close enough to steal a kiss. “Does it have anything to do with those handcuffs in your pocket?”</p><p>Judy blushed and stepped away. When she looked down at her overalls, she didn’t see them poking out. “How the fuck?”</p><p>“I can see the outline on your thigh,” V looked down at the unmistakable circular shape.</p><p>Damn, she was good. Plan ruined.</p><p>“So much for that, then,” Judy huffed and crossed her arms. She frowned at the merc as if she just ruined her best party trick. In response, the merc gave her a shit-eating grin that made her want to surge forward and either grab her by her shirt to give her an angry shake, or kiss it off. She had control prior to this – so much of it that it made her feel sexy and irresistible. For fuck’s sake, she made the woman ride across town like lightning, yet here she was, losing the ace up her sleeve before she could even use it.</p><p>“Judging by that expression,” her lover went on, studying her intently, “you planned on putting those on me when I would not expect it,” she smirked as she toyed with the empty glass. “Now I’m kinda disappointed. I wonder if you’d be able to pull it off.”</p><p>“That a challenge?”</p><p>“I do owe you a favor, you know. All you have to do is ask.” She walked to Judy and slipped the black painted handcuffs out of her pocket, spinning them suggestively on her finger. She thought she was being alluring, but all Judy could think of was the fact that she was definitely going to whack herself in the face with it if she kept it up.</p><p>Seizing her wrist, she pulled V’s hand down. “That’s it? You surrender, just like that?”</p><p>“Oh my god, did you want to manhandle me or something?” V barely spoke through her laughter. “Wrestle me into submission? You totally did! Judy!” She took the handcuffs and placed them on the counter. Then she hopped on it and started removing her biker jacket, carelessly tossing it aside. “Manhandle me,” she said breathily, amusement twinkling in her eyes.</p><p>Judy groaned and collapsed against her girlfriend, hugging her close. “You’re too damn eager.” It was endearing, at least. She wanted to catch her off guard, to earn it by enchanting her, trapping her in an unfair game. It wasn’t fun if the control was given to her freely. It would be the same as wanting to tie up a criminal, like in those old wild west movies, only to have them waggle their eyebrows as they lied down and put their hands behind their back to be tied up. What was the point then? Who was really in control there?</p><p>V ran a hand through Judy’s hair at the back of her head, hearing her hum contently as she nestled against her neck. “So that was your plan? Top the stupid out of me?”</p><p>“Yeah.”</p><p>“A for effort, kitten.”</p><p>Judy pulled back with a puzzled look. “Kitten? That’s what you’re going with?”</p><p>V stroked her jaw line with the back of her fingers. “Yep. Fierce when you want to be, but in moments like this? Absolutely adorable.”</p><p>Groaning again, Judy nestled back into her, basking in her warmth. As far as pet names went, she definitely heard cheesier. Though she would not admit it, the damn thing did give her butterflies. Maiko called her unstable thanks to her temper. She has always been self-conscious about it, but V even seemed to like it. She knew that the storm of emotions was the result of her caring too much.</p><p>“Mind if I take a shower? I smell like a trailer park.”</p><p>Judy unwillingly disentangled herself from the merc and her well-toned body. “I didn’t want to say anything, but yeah. You go do that.” As she passed by her, Judy gave her butt a playful slap and laughed when V jumped in surprise and shot her a fake scandalized look over her shoulder.</p><p>The evening sure as hell did not go the way either of them planned so far. Perhaps if she didn’t bother to bully her at the door, Judy would have had better chances at seducing her the way she wanted. Just pull her in, kiss her, and back her up into her bedroom. Simple. Easy. Except a part of her believed that V was far too observant and too quick to turn it all around before she could snap those cuffs around her wrists.</p><p>She went back to her BDs, wondering how to save the night when her dork walked into her work room and sat down on the second chair. They gazed at each other briefly, neither quite sure what to do next.</p><p>“So, the guy.” Judy tried her best not to curl her lips in disgust. “Who is he?”</p><p>“River Ward. I helped him with a personal matter and I guess I thought he wanted to thank me by being nice and feeding me with some real food.” She shrugged defensively. “He wasn’t coming onto me prior to that, and I sure as hell didn’t flirt back. Even dissed his coat once. It’s really ugly.”</p><p>Judy raised an eyebrow. “Oh, really? If you dissed my overalls I would be <em>so</em> done with you…”</p><p>“Judy, can you just leave it be?”</p><p>“Absolutely the fuck not.” She rolled her chair closer and bopped the merc’s nose to shut her up. “It’s too amusing to let it be. I keep picturing you hunched over your plate in this awkward silence, too afraid to even chew. And god forbid if there is an actual eye contact involved, what if some sparks would start flying?”</p><p>V slapped her hand away when she tried to poke her again and the two fought each other, bickering ceaselessly until there was an audible click, followed by a moment of heavy silence.</p><p>The merc looked at her in disbelief while Judy could hardly contain her own excitement. Another click sounded and Judy’s smile turned into a wolfish grin. “Got you, beautiful.”</p><p>V looked down at her hand and saw the black steel cuff around her wrist and around the iron handle of the chair. It was impossible to remove it, not without some serious damage. “Touché, Judy,” V said, voice shaking. “Touché.”</p><p>The techie laughed victoriously and bolted out of the room, emerging several seconds later with a box full of adult toys. She unceremoniously dropped it into V’s lap, opened it and let the woman stare at it like one staring into the abyss. The merc gulped audibly.</p><p>“Take your pick. Or don’t,” Judy started kissing her neck. “Wanted to try something for a while now, but this is perfect as it is.”</p><p>V reached into the box with her free hand and pulled out a leash. “Sometimes I forget I’m dating a smut editor…” She rifled through it but couldn’t focus even if her life depended on it while Judy continued kissing every exposed inch of her skin.</p><p>“Can you at least let me move to the bedroom?”</p><p>“Hell no, I know you’d try to cuff me to the bed before I could do it to you.” Judy took the box and threw it on the floor. When she straddled V, the merc couldn’t help but curse as her own body started to react to Judy’s onslaught. Her lips were everywhere, they burned like a gentle fire, sinking into the merc’s skin through every contact. Judy observed as her girl turned into putty in her hands and could not be happier about the result. To think River wanted to have this for himself...</p><p>Huffing impatiently, Judy tore at the fabric of the tank top she lent to V, ripping it into shreds. V made a strange little helpless sound that made her pause to get a good look at her and boy, was that a sight.</p><p>“Got what you wanted?” Judy teased, palming her breasts.</p><p>She was breathing a little harder now, eyes hooded with desire. “Not yet. Jesus Christ, Jude, what are you doing to me?”</p><p>“Just reminding you who you belong to,” she whispered in her ear, letting her hand drop down between their bodies, down where it was nice and warm.</p><p>In the end she did get the perfect reward for the daring rescue. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Woop, woop, first smut-ish attempt. In my head, V is a switch, and I think Judy could be too. Point of this whole messy chapter is that sometimes they find it hard to attune to each other's needs. That and to explore possessive Judy a bit further. Anyway, hope you guys like it.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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